The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-10-13
CAMPAIGN CROOKS.
BILL CAPPEu,,ER'S BOOMERANG.
Forgery and Fraud Perpetrated by
The Republican State Executive
a Committee.
Foraker Compelled to Admit that
The Special Land Message
Circulated by the Demo-
Ill., cratic Party is Genuine.
Forced to Confess that His Own
Committee 10 Circulating a
Doctored Edition Of the
DamaRinR Document.

When the Republican Campaign
Committee, the working members of
which draw their salaries regularly out
of the State treasury, woke up to the
fact that the now celebrated special
land message of Governor Foraker lin
which he advocated revaluation OF all
real property at once, for the purpose Of
increasing the tax duplicate), was Great
ing O profound sensation among the
farmers of the State, they concocted
scheme to have the reprint of the mes
sage, which the Democratic Committee
is circulating, denounced by all the Re-
publican organs as forgery and
fraud. Thereupon demoniacal howl
was set up all over the State, and for a
brief season (very brief nothing but
shrieks of fraud and forgery" was
heard in the land. Then suddenly
there was a great silence. 1t was the
consequence of the following dispatch
sent to the Cincinnati Enquirer by its
correspondent, Mr.. W. A. Taylor:
"VINToN, O., Sept 22.-In coming
down on the Hooking Valley train this
morning with Governor Foraker, I
showed him copy of his special mes
sage which the Democratic Executive
Committee is sending out, and asked
him to point out wherein it was forged
or garbled, i have two or three edi-
tions Of it, said the Governor. 'fhey
are accurate, and are NOT FoRdEREs AT
ALL
Then why this charge of forgery and
garbling?' -.
what we complain of is that it was
not published in full in the Democratic:
papers. have received copies OF
pemecretic papers with all the message
left out except that part which relates
to real estate
well, to publish extracts from the
message is not to forge, is it
No, but it is garbling it and distort-
ing its meaning by not publishing the
whole
lBut editors themselves publish such
I'VE are OF the opinion that the com
mittee send it out in this form for pub
lication.' 49,
i can assure you that it is sent out in
the form in which you see it here.
1T seems strange, then, that the
Democratic papers should publish it in
different FORM
But this document is not forgery or
Justification, is it p
40, THIS Is AN ACCURATE COPY
chat is the document, and none other
In any form is being sent out
Tile Govefnor could find nothing
more to say against it,
This, OF course, knocked the idiotic
trick of MIR. Cappeller and his worthy
associates endwise. There was nothing
to be said, and they said nothing. They
continued to draw their salaries from
the State treasury, while deveting their
whole time to running Mr., Fpfaker's
campaign. But new surprise awaited
them and the public. Mr.. Taylor was
still on their track, as will be seen from
the following dispatch to the Enquirer !:
COLUMBUS, o., Sept 26.-Last week
the Republican organs and Mr.. Cappel-
ler raised a hue and cry that the Demo-
cratic Committee was sending out a
forged special message of the Governor.
That matter was settled very conclu-
sively by Governor Foraker himself,
who on the cars between this city and
V nton, with the message before him,
pronounced it an accurate, true and
authentic copy of his special message to
the Legislature of the 9Th of April, 1866
rI haVs discovered, however, that
THERE HAS BEgN A SUBSTANTIAL FORGERY
Committed WITH REFERENCE TO THAT
SPECIAL MESSAGE, AND THAT BY THE RE-
PUBLICAN MANAGERS THEMSELVES. An
ingenious contraction was prepared,
WHICH purported to he the special mes
sage, and was published in the State
Journal and Clefeland Leader and other
organs, and s..nt out in boiler plate,
which pretended, among other things,
that Governor Foraker used the follow
ing language:
'The last decennial appraisement of
real estate was had at period of great
prosperity. 1t was time of general
high values. Since then there has been
a heavy decline. Farm property is
from 25 to so per cent. cheaper to-day
than it was then. The consequence is
that farming lands OF the State, where
they have not been affected by the
growth of cities or other development,
are now taxed on the average more
nearly at their full value in mepey than
any other class OF property. In fact,
the farm lands of some of the counties
are taxed at even more than they could
be sold for
6When Governor Foraker was asked
if any such language as this occurs any,
where in his special message OF April i,
1855, he replied promptly:
GIT DOES NOT
"Any Republican correspondent who
will take the trouble to call on the
Governor and ask him whether the
foregoing is part of his special message
OF April 6, 1885, will receive the same
kind of reply, with probably an ex-
tenuation for the attempted fraud of
the Rrpublican managers, aoho appear to
be drirerl to the last ditch of desperation.
"Now that Governor Foraker has
pronounced the document sent out by
the Democratic Committee an authentic
and reliable copy OF his special message,
and the one sent out by the Republican
ranagers is a fraud, ii not a bold and
al solute fo gerry, that questi is
settled. " bat Governor Forak did
say, and what he says he said in hi
special message on this precise subs
ject, is:
"sThe valuation of real estate rarely
exceeds 70 per cent, and ranges down
ward from that point as low as 25 per
cent. of its true value, while personal
property is valued all the way from its
true value down to nothing. In fact,
the great majority of the personal
property of the State is not returned,
but entirely and fraudulently withheld
from taxation
"When asked if any such language
occurred in his special message OF April
6, Governor Foraker promptly re-
sponded
alt DOES
"Any Republican correspondent in
this city who will take the trouble to
call on the Governor and ask him
whether the foregoing is part of his
special message of April &, 1886, will re-
ceive the same answer. These facts,
affirmed by Governor Foraker himself,
make direct issue between him and the
farmers, and / shall leave the Governor
to fight it out as best he can"
The position in which this leaves the
Republican State Committee is really
pitiable. When persons occupying high
positions in the service of the State
desert their Offices while still drawing